Don’t get taken for a ride by rental car costs abroad
Q I HIRED a car for a holiday in a Spanish island. I understood from the website the fee would be £280. But when I got home, my credit card had been debited for just over £580. I’m sure I did not crash the car or do anything wrong. So why have I been hit with £300 over what I thought I would pay? Do I have any redress? Jenny C
A
UNLIKE Americans or Australians, car hire is generally not part of our daily lives until we go on holiday. There is a lot that’s wrong with car hire – in 2015, the Competitions and Markets Authority told companies across Europe to clean up their act with transparent pricing, less small print, stop shock extras such as €500 for a scratch under a wheel arch, and taking money without your permission and without evidence of you causing the damage or its real cost. The CMA findings have yet to be fully implemented.
Your £280 was the headline rate. It’s rarely what you pay. It’s like restaurants offering “two courses for £12”, where once you’ve laid out for drinks, coffee, a third course and service, you’ll probably double that.
Typical extras include waiver of excess insurance (so you don’t pay big money for a minor collision), extra insurance for the windscreen and tyres, a “full-empty” petrol policy so you pay for a complete fill-up even if the car has a full tank on return, upgrades to a bigger car, unneeded extras such as satnav, or for a child seat when you have your own, and “administration fees” for a second driver.
At least, you bought before your holiday. Hiring at the foreign airport is mostly more expensive as you are a captive customer.
Car hire is a widely complained about feature of foreign holidays. If faced with additional costs not covered by the small print, complain firstly to the car hire firm.
If that fails, allow two weeks, then your next recourse is to the European Car Rental Conciliation Service but this only deals with member firms, largely big players, and you must book directly, not through a broker or independent website.
The European Consumers Centres Network can be helpful provided there is evidence of a breach of contract, rather than small print extras. If you rented in the UK, try the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association.